


Transgender Reader/Zuko Series

by Incognito_RabbitFox



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Gen, Ghosts, M/M, Transgender
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24977098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Incognito_RabbitFox/pseuds/Incognito_RabbitFox
Summary: When the reader insert original character is a stowaway on Zuko's ship, they don't just run into the fire nation prince. It's more like a crash landing!
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	1. The Stowaway

“A witch on the loose! Nephew, what do you think of this foolishness?” Iroh laughed. Zuko looked at his uncle in surprise.

“You don’t believe in witches, Uncle?” the prince asked.

“What? Of course not! Why would you think I would believe in such a thing?” Iroh scoffed. The crew members that were leaving the ship for shore leave also seemed surprised that the superstitious old man didn’t have any confidence in this myth. They passed behind the old general, so he didn’t see their faces and similar expressions to the prince’s.

“Well, you talk of so many other magical fairy tales,” Zuko answered, “Why not this one?”

“Witches are what spiritual leaders called people who spoke different truths than them of the spirit world, nephew. Come, I must replenish our tea supplies while we are here,” Iroh explained as he walked by Zuko’s side off the ship. 

The earth nation port they were docked in was buzzing with rumors about a Fire Nation prisoner who escaped from their captivity on the coast nearby when the military ship docked there. The prisoner was said to be a witch with yellow hair and eyes the color of the sky. A witch that could control a person once they made eye contact or could stop someone’s bending when they looked into the witch’s blue eyes. It had seemed just the sort of thing Zuko’s uncle would have been enamoured with and had similar stories of, but it seemed that even Iroh had his limits for what he would believe. Shouting erupted from the shops ahead of the royal pair.

“Blue eyes!”

“The witch is here!”

“Guards!”

“Catch the witch!”

Zuko sped up to reach the commotion, but the crowd of people settled down as everyone checked each other’s hair and eyes and everyone indeed had brown eyes and black or brown hair. A trio of guards strolled up and chuckled at the crowd.

“Another witch sighting, eh? That’s the fourth one today. It seems the witch cannot be caught!”

They walked away laughing before Iroh reached his companion.

“Well, Prince Zuko? Did you see a witch?”

“No, of course not,” Zuko waved his hand in the air, “I don’t know why I ran ahead. I guess I thought that maybe there would be someone causing the trouble. Not a witch, but you know, a reason other than hysteria.”

“In my experience, hysteria is what usually causes trouble,” Iroh said sanctimoniously.

-

-

A figured wearing a cloak ran onto their ship and down into the lower decks.

-

-

Crates of food and supplies were organized below decks and the banished prince’s ship set off again on the trail of the avatar. Almost immediately after the boat was headed in the right direction and gaining speed, a cry of alarm reached the deck and tower. All hands rushed below with old Iroh in tow and Zuko in the lead because of his superior fitness and youth. One of the crew held a door shut, leaning against it with his backside.

“Well What is it?” Zuko demanded.

“Sir, you won’t believe me if I say it,” the quaking man stammered. Iroh politely maneuvered his way to the front with his nephew.

“You will be thrown overboard if you don’t answer me!” Zuko shouted.

“The witch is in the cargo hold!” the crewman cried out and covered his red face. The rest of the crew started hooting and laughing at him.

“Step. Aside,” the captain grumbled, but Zuko with one arm yanked the man out of his way and flung the door open. Zuko, Iroh, and the Captain stepped inside the cargo hold to investigate the ridiculous claim. From the back of the hold, behind rows of crates, a badly controlled sob escaped someone’s lips. Zuko threw a fireball in the direction and an unseen person snuffled farther into the back corner.

“Please, I’m not a witch. I needed to hide, I just needed to hide. Please,” a gasping pause interrupted the beggar, “Please, I don’t want to be a problem.”

“That’s too late, then, because you became a problem when you stowed away on my ship!” Zuko retorted. Iroh looked from his nephew’s angry face to the dark corner the scared voice emanated from. The captain was hanging back because it was already cramped quarters with just the two of them walking side by side.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Two words repeated non-stop as Zuko and Iroh got closer and finally turned the corner. A figure in torn earth kingdom garb, a cloak, and fire nation shoes was on their knees with their head bent down to face the wooden floor. Prince Zuko grabbed the cloak’s hood and flipped it off the head to find a shocking headful of short, yellow hair.

“I-I was running a-and he called to come aboard your ship,” the witch choked out between chest heaving sobs.

“Who?” Iroh spoke up. Both he and Zuko were shocked, but Zuko was shocked into silence.

“He, um, uh,” the witch looked up and with blue eyes they looked next to the royal family members into the darkness of the hold and then met Iroh’s gaze, “Lu Ten?”

-

-

-

Zuko shook off the chill that froze him and he pulled the witch to their feet. He pushed them against the wall and folded their arms behind their back and used his uniform belt-tie to fasten their wrists securely. Against the wall, the witch’s head was turned towards Iroh and those eyes pierced his soul. His mouth fell open hearing his son’s name.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please, I-I’m sorry,” the repetition began again, “I’m sorry. Lu Ten is his name, right? I only came on board because he told me to, he said-aaaaoooww!”

Zuko was getting angrier and his hands burned through the cloth on the witch’s shoulder and opposite forearm. Iroh swatted the prince’s hands away from the stranger and turned them to face him.

“What do you mean when you say Lu Ten talked to you?” was quietly asked.

“It’s a long story, but I see spirits from the spirit world, but I’m NOT a witch,” the stowaway answered.

Iroh and Zuko made bewildered eye contact. 


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you mean when you say Lu Ten talked to you?” was quietly asked.  
“It’s a long story, but I see spirits from the spirit world, but I’m NOT a witch,” the stowaway answered.  
Iroh and Zuko made bewildered eye contact.  
-  
-  
-  
“Please believe me, I’m not a witch, I can’t hurt anyone the ways people say I can,” the runaway prisoner stammered through tears. Iroh continued to blankly stare at the person in front of him, but his body moved seemingly on its own. His hand released its gentle grip on the person’s forearm and handed back their stowaway to his nephew. Slowly, Iroh pulled his gaze away, turning back to the ship captain.  
“Captain, how difficult would it be for us to convince your crew that nothing came of this?”  
“What?” “WHAT?!” the captain and Prince Zuko asked simultaneously. The prince’s grip on his prisoner tightened.   
“Aaooww,” they protested and began to try to pull out of the prince’s hold. Once again, the prince was unknowingly burning his captive, but their sudden desperation to break free didn’t clue him into this fact. He pulled them back against his chest, shifting one hand to their shoulder and his other arm around their waist.  
“Prince Zuko, if we are to keep this incident a secret from the Fire Nation, the crew has to be unaware. And for the crew to believe we found nothing in the hold, you must keep your bending and anger under control,” Iroh calmly ordered. His nephew grated when his Uncle chastised him, but he looked down at his hands and the burnt remains of cloth under them between him and the witch’s skin.  
“Captain, have you given thought to my question?” Uncle Iroh continued. The captain returned his blank stare to the sage older man.  
“I think they would believe it from the both of us. If Prince Zuko stayed to hold the witch, we could say that he is extremely annoyed by the waste of time and you requested that he remain while he calmed down,” the captain suggested, at first unsure, but falling back into his commanding tone of voice.  
“How DARE you-” Prince Zuko began to bristle, but Iroh interrupted him.  
“Prince Zuko, your bending, please,” he pointed out before continuing, “Yes, captain, that sounds like a likely success. An angry fire bender in the hold would also guarantee that they all return to their duties away from below decks. Yes, let us begin immediately.”  
The two older men walked to the door of the hold and paused before opening it. Prince Zuko shuffled backwards into the shadows, still holding onto the witch. The hand on their shoulder was moved to cover their mouth.  
“You’ll stay quiet, unless you want a scar to match mine,” Zuko whispered close to their ear.  
The hold door creaked open and shut behind Iroh and the captain. Incoherent voices travelled through the metal to the pair shrouded in darkness and they waited. The voices stopped and the footsteps of a large group faded away down the hall. Words mumbled feebly under the Prince’s hand. He squeezed with his arm around their waist.  
“I didn’t say you could talk,” Zuko snapped, continuing his constricting hold that rivaled even a fox-snake’s. His prisoner began to breathe heavily and sagged forward in his arms. Abruptly, their entire body sank to the floor as a dead-weight, and the prince let go in surprise. The stowaway gulped in air a few times before beginning to squirm away from the dangerous fire bender. Zuko pounced at the attempted escapee, but although they were face down on the ship floor, they rolled to the side and leaned against a crate to stand.  
“They left before I tried to say anything to you,” said the witch, “I waited, but you still choked me...I was quiet until after your crew was gone.”  
The clear and strong voice shook, but the difference from the courage now and the fear before was striking. The blue eyes focused on Zuko’s, but he felt no spell binding him to his place. Indeed, he knew very well that was kept him from moving was a new mountain of guilt. The teenager in front of him was superficially burned everywhere his hands had touched when he was angry and their shirt and cloak was in ashen tatters. With much of their upper torso visible and facing him, Zuko could see bruises and too many old scars.  
“How long have you been in Fire Nation custody?” he asked. The witch was taken off guard and blinked before answering.  
“This month I was taken from my village.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh we find out more about the witch and also we learn some exciting info!!

“How long have you been in Fire Nation custody?” he asked. The witch was taken off guard and blinked before answering.  
“This month I was taken from my village.”  
-  
-  
-  
Zuko’s brow furrowed thinking and then his eyes widened. It was almost comical how his realization was so plainly transparent. But the witch didn’t find anything about their situation humorous. Quietly, Zuko asked a question he was sure he knew the answer of,  
“Who gave you those scars?”  
“My village did. Don’t worry, your countrymen didn’t beat me. No, my own family did that,” the witch answered, their tone wavering between bitter and sad, “Are you still going to give me one to match yours?”  
Zuko’s mouth open and shut a couple times as he was struggling to bring himself to answer. The dim hold was cast into the light when Uncle Iroh returned and shut the door behind him. He surveyed the two teenagers facing each other and the sorry state of the witch. He knew his nephew well enough for answers not to be needed. His keen eyes and mind didn’t miss a thing.  
“We’re going to hold you in my nephew’s chamber,” Iroh informed the witch.  
“Wait, why mine?” Zuko protested.  
“The same reasons you tried to keep the avatar there. They are the most secure this ship has to offer,” Iroh answered simply. He stepped towards the witch and held out an arm, “Will you come silently? Announcing your presence to the crew will result in your return to the Fire Nation authorities. While I will admit they may not treat you as badly as where you came from or how my nephew has recently, you were being taken to my brother. And my brother would have caused you unimaginable-”, Iroh stopped mid-sentence because he watched the witch listen to him while furtively glancing next to him, “Is...is Lu Ten beside me?”  
The witch refocused their attention on Iroh, “When people ask questions about who I see, they’re never happy with the answers I give them.”  
“Yes, I can see that,” Iroh sighed, looking at their scarred body that was uncovered, “And I suppose you’re also used to being promised a person won’t become angry as well.”  
The witch nodded and shifted their weight onto one leg, which reminded both firebenders that they had to move their prisoner to Zuko’s chambers.  
“I’m sorry, what is your name? We haven’t asked,” Iroh held out his arm again.  
“A traveler who settled in my village called me Makoto,” Makoto sullenly answered, “But my parents named me Akuma and the rest of my village used that name.”  
“When you were born?” Zuko thought out loud.  
“They knew I was a cursed child when I was born like this,” Makoto shrugged and walked to Iroh’s side. They left the hold and went up one floor to Zuko’s chamber. The door was quickly locked behind them even though Makoto was calmly following their directions. Iroh pulled a sleeping robe from the back of Zuko’s closet. The prince grabbed his Uncle’s hands when he reached for their prisoner’s restrained wrists.   
“What are you doing? They’re still our prisoner,” Zuko scoffed incredulously.  
“Our prisoner needs to be bandaged and new clothes because of you,” Iroh gruffly retorted.  
“If I’m being kept in his room, will I be left alone with him again?” Makoto inquired, glaring slightly at Zuko. He grabbed Makoto by the remaining cloak hood collared around their neck.  
“For someone acting so brave you were a sniveling mess when we first found you,” he said. Makoto’s fists clenched behind their back, but they didn’t try any easy moves to respond physically.  
“Most people don’t attack a crying stranger and ask questions later,” was hissed through gritted teeth, “And-”  
“Most people aren’t the banished fire nation prince!”  
“STOP. BOTH OF YOU, STOP THIS. Zuko, leave us,” Iroh pushed them apart from each other and Zuko towards the door of his own quarters, “Makoto, SIT DOWN.”  
Makoto sat cross-legged where they stood. Iroh walked to the other side of the room and tossed a floor cushion next to Makoto. He retrieved the wash basin and returned to Makoto, kneeling next to them.  
“I’m untying your hands, I don’t think I need to worry about anything besides two hot-headed teenagers butting heads, am I wrong?”   
“No,” Makoto rubbed their freed wrists and rolled their shoulders, “I think you were right in the hold, that between my choices you are the safer bet. You were being honest about the Firelord.”  
“Are you very good at telling who’s lying?” their conversation continued while Iroh put different herbs in the basin water.  
“...No, I’m not. Lu Ten said you were telling the truth. And that you won’t get mad hearing about him from me,” Makoto shrugged off their rags and also their shoes, to reveal badly blistered feet, “Can we bandage my feet as well?”  
The old man gingerly felt the blisters and the welts that led up their legs.  
“Yes, the tea leaves I added to the water will make your skin feel better after gently washing it with. And also yes, I will be happy to hear whatever you share with me about my son, but first tell me where the injuries on your legs are from. Treating everything would be best for you.”  
“I ran through the forest when I escaped, the patterns the swollen parts are in look like it’s from one of the plants I ran through. It itches and burns like mad. I scratch it when I’m asleep.”  
“Yes, I can see that, poisonous aldervine doesn’t usually get this bad without scratching,” Iroh chuckled, “You need to take off your pants in order to wash your legs.”  
Makoto froze and looked wide-eyed at the old man.  
“What?” Iroh said, “I bathed Lu Ten for years and had to help him when he ran through poisonous aldervine too. Even Zuko has gotten injured badly in fights over nothing and I’ve had to help him. You’ll be no different from my son or my nephew,” waving away Makoto’s shock nonchalantly.  
“I am different from your son and nephew,” Makoto protested. Iroh turned away from the darkening tea to meet their gaze.  
“Truly, you are not. When you are an old man, you’ll see all children as possibly your own as well.”  
“No, I mean I’m not-I don’t-there’s no penis!” Makoto covered their face with Zuko’s old robe. Iroh stopped calmly preparing. His jaw fell open, but he shook his head and quickly recomposed himself.   
“Do you honestly think you’re the only person in history like that?...Or currently in the whole world?...Or the first one I’ve met?”  
“What? This is the curse, it’s the…” Makoto trailed off.  
“No, it simply isn’t, my dear, and I still stand by what I said about your legs, they need the tea water as much as the rest of you. If you are not uncomfortable, I am not uncomfortable,” Iroh comforted them. He put a hand on their shoulder. Makoto mumbled okay and pulled down their pants. As they delicately washed their legs, Iroh soothed their unreachable back and listened.  
“Before I was born, the Fire Nation attacked my village’s town. It was bigger and better than the village, but it all burned anyway. My people fled farther into the forest and had to rebuild. They renounced the spirits of the nature and our ancestors. And then...the first baby born was me. I came out with blue eyes and yellow hair….And I came out mis-matched. It was their punishment for renouncing the spirits -I was the punishment. Akuma. When I was able to talk, I talked about the spirits I saw and what they told me. I learned very quickly not to talk about it, but I was still foolish enough to believe people of my village when one of them asked to be told about the spirit world. Then, when the avatar came back to us, it was like the spirit world went from a dying to a roaring fire. Suddenly, everything was so much stronger and the forest guardians around my village kept telling me ‘the avatar is back’. I repeated what they said while I slept every night for that entire week. When another troop of Fire Nation soldiers found our village, I was offered in a trade for their safety.”  
“You were not a punishment. You were a gift, Makoto, to connect your village to the spirit world once again. Being born mis-matched, as you say, was an unhappy coincidence for you. What about the traveler who gave you this beautiful name? When did they arrive?”  
“He actually wasn’t a traveler. Well, he was, but he was a spirit. His people all died from a fire nation attack, but his town was more like a kingdom. Still, there weren’t any survivors. He was wandering the living world looking for any of his people who survived in other parts of the world. He stayed in my village because I was the first person in almost 100 years that he could talk to easily. He left the living world when the avatar returned.”  
“Makoto, can you describe what clothes he wore?” Iroh pondered.  
“What?”  
“Did he wear white and yellow or orange robes?”  
“How did you guess?” Makoto turned behind them to see Iroh’s face.


End file.
